Two hour night race to highlight Adelaide event

DRIVERS competing in the Century Batteries Australian GT Production Car
Championship will be relying on an unusual component of their vehicles when
they race in round two in Adelaide on April 8 - their headlights.
Championship organisers PROCAR...

DRIVERS competing in the Century Batteries Australian GT Production Car
Championship will be relying on an unusual component of their vehicles when
they race in round two in Adelaide on April 8 - their headlights.

A field of 44 cars covering five classes has entered the race, which follows
the success of a shorter twilight event in Adelaide last year.

All the cars will already have working headlights because GT Production
rules require them to compete in near-standard specification, but it's
unlikely to be a case of the car with the brightest lights being the winner.

A compulsory pit stop for a tyre change, with most teams also changing
drivers, will add an uncertainty factor.

After the first round in Western Australia on March 19, line honours in
Adelaide are expected to be fought out between the turbocharged Mazda RX7s,
Mitsubishi Lancer RS Evolution V's and Subaru Impreza WRX STi's, plus a lone
V8 Holden Commodore HSV ClubSport R8.

Sydney's Ric Shaw, who leads the championship with 32 points, clearly won
both round-one legs in his Mazda RX-7 Twin-turbo but expects the other cars
to be closer in Adelaide.

"I'm looking forward to defending my championship lead in Adelaide, but I
expect the other guys are going to be tougher to beat after a few weeks of
development since Perth," Shaw said.

There will be plenty of action in the five GT Production classes, too, with
V8 Touring points leader Scott Loadsman defending against four other Holden
Commodores and two Ford Falcons.

Last year's winner Jim Richards will not defend his title, having moved his
Porsche 911 GT3 into the new Century Batteries GTP Nations Cup for
ultra-high performance cars, which will stage its debut round on the
Adelaide weekend.

<pre>
ENTRY LIST

Century Batteries Australian GT Production Car Championship
Round 2 Adelaide, 8 April 2000